


To Love a Ninja: Michelangelo's Story

by LibraryRose



Category: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TV 2012)
Genre: F/M, Gender-Neutral Pronouns, M/M, Mutant Reader, Other, Reader-Insert, Self-Insert, gender neutral reader
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-20
Updated: 2018-06-11
Packaged: 2019-03-21 20:17:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,189
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13748472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LibraryRose/pseuds/LibraryRose
Summary: Your mentor is gone, kidnapped by the Kraang. When you are mutated into a turtle, you are taken in by the fabled Ninja Turtles. You've chosen Michelangelo to guard you day and night, at least until the retro-mutagen can be formulated.Michelangelo: Sanguine and as resilient as the forest. He’s happy, fun and loves his pranks. He’ll do just about anything to make you happy. But is he hiding something behind that smile of his? And as you start to fall for him you stand to lose more than just your mentor.And as the saying goes: It’s all fun and games until someone gets hurt.





	1. Chapter 1

* * *

**The Prologue**

* * *

You woke up in an unfamiliar place with your hands bound together at your wrists, suspended by a meat hook over a vat of glowing green stuff. Your first instinct was to try and wriggle yourself free but you fought against it, hanging the air was a lot better than falling into whatever that green crap was. You decided to calm yourself by recounting the events that lead you to your current situation.

That night you had been snooping around your mentor’s office, looking for clues about his mysterious disappearance. He was one of many scientists to go missing in the past month, and when you called the police they basically told you to shove off with their token answer of “we’ll look into it”.

Unable to wait for the cops, you decided to investigate on your own, which lead your mentor’s lab where you were attacked and captured by several armed robots. You stood no chance of escaping even if you did know how to fight, which you didn’t. You took a blow to the back of the head and passed out.

That explained being tied up but not the green vat of glowing liquid beneath you. The swirling hues of blue and green captured your attention, it was soothing in a way, like a lava lamp. You shook away that thought, what were you thinking? That stuff was probably as acidic as it smelled. You tried to move but your body wouldn’t respond which told you that you’d been hanging there for quite a long time.

“Sorry, professor.” You said. “I really wanted to help you.” You said. The professor had been like a father to you since you’d come to know him three years ago. You were fascinated by his teachings and decided to apprentice under him, follow in his footsteps. You wanted to help people, cure them, and do something good for humanity. So much for that dream.

“Kraang, tell Kraang that the one called _____ is in the state known as being awake.” You heard a robotic voice say. Glancing around you found the source of the voice, it had come from one of the two robots, standing beside the vat of green stuff.

“Let me go, you overgrown tin cans!” you yelled and the Kraang bots, as you cleverly called them, drew two odd looking guns and aimed them at you. You swallowed against the lump in your throat, perhaps name-calling wasn’t the best way to handle your situation. “Or you know, I can totally hang around if you want.”  

“If you can make lame jokes then I guess your fine.” You heard as a new person entered the room, you felt a sense of relief as you recognized them. It was Irma, a girl you knew from school, she was always hanging around with April and Casey.

“Irma! Thank god, help me.” You said and it dawned on you that if Irma was your savior then surely the Kraang bots would be bothered by her presence.  

“Help you?” Irma said, “No, you have it backwards. You are going to help me.” She said. “You are going to help me destroy the Ninja Turtles.

“What? Are you crazy? The Ninja Turtles? They are a myth.”  You said. “You honestly think there are humanoid turtles running around protecting the city?” You said. “Next you’re gonna tell me that there’s a giant alligator living in the sewers.” you scoffed.

“It doesn’t matter what you believe because you are going to help me whether you want to or not.” Irma said.

“Why the hell would I help you?” you asked and without missing a beat Irma’s body unfolded like one of those paper fortunetellers, revealing her true form. In the center of her robot body was a pink brain, like the ones sitting inside the other robots.

“I am Kraang Prime, the ultimate life form and I will compensate you for your cooperation.” He said.

“No way!” you struggled, even if the turtles weren’t real, you knew that they were the good guys, you weren’t about to help the enemy. “Nothing you can offer me will make me help you.”

“Is that so? What if I offer to return your mentor to you?” He said and it struck a nerve with you. The professor helped you when no one else would, you basically owed him your life. What could you do but agree?

“Fine.” You said "What do I have to do?" You asked.

"That's the easy part.” Kraang said then turned toward the two robots next to him. “Add the turtle DNA to the formula.” He said.

You watched as one of the Kraang bots added some sort of serum to the green stuff you were hanging over. When it was done, Kraang Prime yanked a lever protruding from a computer next to the vat and you began to descend toward the green stuff.

“Hey, can we talk about this.” You said. “don't you think I will do a better job if I am alive?”

“Don't worry, we aren't going to kill you.” Kraang Prime said. “Though, this process will make you want to die.” He laughed and watched with joy as you were submerged.   

It had the consistency of Jell-O only it ate away at your body like acid. You screamed, allowing the green stuff to find its way into your mouth where it made its way into your lungs. There you were caught between drowning and being burned alive, and you felt like your whole body was being ripped to shreds.

After a few moments the pain began to subside and found that the rope that had previously bound you had disintegrated and you were able to swim to the top of the vat. You pulled yourself over the rim and were sent tumbling to the ground at Kraang’s feet. 

You coughed up what remained of the green stuff and pushed yourself up off the ground.

No! You changed your mind, your mentor had always told you to fight for what was right. He wouldn’t want to be saved at the cost of you losing yourself.

Kraang looked down at you and smiled, and you instantly hated that smile. Adrenaline coursed through your body and you jammed an elbow into Kraang’s pink face. He squealed and fell back, giving you a chance to run, which you gladly took.

“After that them!” you heard Kraang prime say but something in that green stuff must have done something to you, you felt light on your feet and stronger. Spurred on by this fact you made your way out of the warehouse and through the streets of New York.  You hurried through alley ways and familiar back streets in order to lose the Kraang bots that were after you.

After a few moments, once you were sure you had lost them you slumped against a wall behind a dumpster. With the adrenaline rush over you couldn’t find the energy to move anymore. Hopefully you’d be safe until you woke again.

Then the world went black.

* * *

 “Hey, guys look.” You heard a faint voice between your bouts of consciousness. “It’s a mutant turtle.” Said the voice.

“Are they alive?” asked another voice, this one dripping with authority

 “I think so.” The first voice said.

 “Mikey, don’t touch them.” Another voice, this one was gentler than the others.

 “Let’s bring them back to the lair” the voice belonging to Mikey said

 At this point you were coherent enough to push yourself up off the ground. You glanced around and discovered that you were in the middle of an alleyway surrounded by, four mutant turtles. You couldn’t believe it. It was them, they did exist. “The Ninja Turtles.” You said.

 “How do you know about us?” the authoritarian turtle asked, his eyes were cautious and you could tell he wouldn’t settle for anything less than the truth.

“There are rumors floating around about you guys but no one believes them.” You said. “I didn’t… at first. I mean come on, four crime-fighting humanoid turtles. It’s a little ridiculous.”

 “Ridiculous?” the red banded turtle, who hadn’t said a word since you woke up Said.  “You’re one to talk.” 

 “What does that mean?” you asked, bristling at the challenging air he was giving off. You pointed at him, insult at the ready but it died in your throat when you noticed the shade of your skin. Your arm was green and scaly, you followed the length of your arm back toward your body and shot to your feet. In addition to your green arms you had two legs to match and a vibrant unmarred plastron.

Your breath began to quicken as you ran a hand around to your back to feel a hard substance. Oh no. You ran toward a window in the alley and caught your reflection. You touched your face. You were half turtle and half human.   “I’m a… I’m a turtle.” You said.

“You mean you didn’t know?” the gentle voice asked, his worry filled eyes hidden beneath a purple mask.

“No, this isn’t right. What the heck was in that stuff?” you felt a panic run through you, everything crashed in around you, your lost mentor, the transformation, the discovery of the Ninja Turtles. You felt dizzy and before another moment passed you fainted, but not before you heard the blue banded turtle say.

“Nice going, Raph.”

* * *

When you woke up, you discovered that you were on a sofa in the middle of an abandoned subway station. Everything about the place felt homey, welcoming and warm, well, except for the smell.

 Suddenly, the sofa dipped behind you and you turned to see the only turtle you could identify, “Mikey.” The way he was smiling seemed to make you feel secure. Like you could let all of your stress melt away. 

“How’d you guess my name?” he asked.

“I heard the blue turtle say it.” You said.

“Mikey, give them some space.” Speak of the devil.

“Sorry about that.” Said the turtle in blue. “I know this is a lot to take in but you don’t have to worry, we’re the good guys. We’ll help you.” He said. “My name is Leonardo.”

“Leo-nardo.” You tested his name on your lips and he smiled. “The red turtle, as you would put it, is Raphael.” He said, “He’s got something he wants to say to you.” Leonardo said, but the tone of his voice told you there was a threat hidden behind his words.

Raphael grumbled and came forward. “Sorry.” He said but you didn’t remember him doing anything that he needed to apologize for. Still you accepted his apology with a nod.

“Hi, I’m Donatello.” The purple banded turtle said. “Am I right to assume that, given the fact that you didn’t realize that you were a turtle, you were once human?” Donatello asked.

“Yeah. Then I fell into this green Jell-O stuff and when I woke up I was like this.” You said, unsure of just how much to tell them. Would they help you if they knew that Kraang had done this to you or would they assume you were up to something. You couldn't risk it so you didn't disclose any more.

 “Fascinating.” He said and you were kind of put off by it but ignored it, he was obviously “Fascinated” for science reasons. “Well, don’t worry, I am working on a retro-mutagen, it should change you back.” He said. That was good to hear.

“Nice to meet you all. My name is ____.”  you said 

“Well, _____ welcome to our humble home.” You turned around to see another mutant, this one was a rat, and looking into his eyes you could see just how wise this one was. “My name is Hamato, Yoshi.” He gave a bow. “You may call me Splinter.”

“Hello, Splinter.” You said then turned toward Donatello. “How long will the retro-mutagen take?” you asked, you wanted to be human again as soon as possible.

Donatello rubbed his hand over the back of his smooth head, he was wearing a guilty look. “It’s still in the early stages of development.”

“How early?” you asked.

“Research.” He admitted.

You felt your heart drop at that simple word. “What am I supposed to do? I can’t go home like this.” You said. “I’ll be locked up, or worse! Experimented on.” The panic in your voice cause each of the turtles to take a step toward you. You could only guess that they knew what you were feeling. You felt guilty for panicking when they were probably stuck in turtle form indefinitely.

“Calm yourself.” Splinter said. “I suggest that you stay here with us until we can deal with your situation.” He said. “That is, if you want to.”

“Thank you for your kind offer.” You said, “But I don’t think…” you trailed off as something crossed your mind. The turtles could change you back and then you could work on rescuing your mentor.  “Okay.” You said.

“Good, then one of my sons will be assigned to watch over you.” He said and you got the feeling that he expected you to pick one. You turned toward the four turtles.

Leonardo watch you stoically but seemed to be eager to help.

Mikey was practically jumping up and down to get your attention.

Donatello was looking at you the way your mentor looked at one of his test subjects.

Raphael had his arms crossed over his plastron, seemingly annoyed with the whole thing.

“I choose…”

 


	2. Chapter 2

* * *

**The First Chapter**

* * *

You glanced over at Michelangelo and smiled, he gave off an air of childishness that made you confident that he wouldn’t ask too many questions about your transformation. “I choose Mikey.” You said and the second his name left your lips he scooped you up into the air and hugged you tightly.

“Yeah, boi.” He said, before setting you down again, you felt dizzy but it didn’t last long. “Everyone wants to hang out with Mikey, cause, let’s face it, I’m the best.” He taunted his brothers before turning his attention back toward you. “We are gonna have so much fun.” His jovial attitude was making you feel giddy.

“Calm down, Michelangelo.” Splinter said. “____ has had a long day, perhaps a night of rest would be appreciated.”

You had to agree with that, with all that’s happened in the span of several hours you were surprised you were even standing. Michelangelo looked toward you and nodded in agreement. “Come on, Neo-Turtle.” He said, grabbing your hand in order to lead you away, hopefully to a nice warm bed.

“Neo-Turtle?” you asked.

“Yeah, it’s your mutant name.” He said as if it giving someone a new name was the most natural thing in the world. “Get it? Because neo means new and you are a new turtle.”

“Cool, it’s like a superhero name.” you said, and you didn’t know why but you felt honored to receive a nickname from him.

“Exactly.” He said then came to a stop in front of a door, “Welcome to Casa Di Angelo.” He said and with a flourish opened the door.

Toys. Toys everywhere, they littered the ground like a miniature carnival. Scanning the room, something caught your eye, a toy from your childhood. “I can’t believe you have one of these.” You said and scooped it up. “I had one of these when I was a kid.” You sat down on the ground and played with it. “Awesome, it still works.” You smiled.

“Yes!” Michelangelo said, “I did it.” You looked up at him, did what? “I made you smile.” He answered the question that was seemingly written on your face.

Michelangelo flopped down on his bed causing a mountain of plushies to tumble to the ground. “So, you’re a scientist?” he asked.

“An apprentice.” You corrected. “My mentor was kidnapped. That’s how I became…this.” you tried to say  _this_ with as little disdain as possible because you didn’t want to offend your guardian. “I got jumped by some bad guys and when I woke up, I was like this.” Oops. The whole reason you’d picked Michelangelo to begin with was so that he wouldn’t ask too many questions, and here you were volunteering the information. You had to be more careful, his innocent nature was dangerous.

“I’m sorry about your mentor. That must be rough, if something happened to Master Splinter I don’t know what I’d do.” He said.

“They professor was like a father to me.” You said. “I would have been homeless if not for him. He helped me get into the university and helped me find a place to live. I owe him my life.” you frowned and tinkered around with the toy anxiously.

Michelangelo placed a bandaged hand over yours, in an act of comfort. “Don’t worry. Me and my bros will help you.”

“Are you guys really Ninja?” you asked.

“Yep.” He said. “We’ve practically mastered every move there is. Don’t tell my brothers but I’m the best one, I just hold back because I don’t want them to feel bad.” Remembering the dangerous air that Raphael gave off, you chuckled, at the idea of Michelangelo decking his scary brother.

After a few moments of silence, Michelangelo asked, “Do people really talk about us, up there?”

“Sort of. I mean people think you guys are normal guys, trying to save the city.” You watched him cringe at the word _Normal_. That wasn’t what you meant. “I just mean, no one believes that you are mutant turtles.” You said, though it didn’t really help your point.

“Man, I bet if we had the chance we could show people who we really are and they’d accept us.” He said, and as much as you wanted to reassure the young turtle, you knew you’d only be lying to him. The majority of humans weren’t understand or accepting.

Your eyes fell to the ground and you noticed something else, “Oh my god, is that…” you trailed off, climbing over a few toys to grab the object of your attention. “It is. A Wingnut comic book.” You lifted it up in the air and smiled. “I love these, I have every single one. I even have a signed copy of the limited edition first issue.”

“Are you serious?” Michelangelo fell to the ground next to you and placed his hands over yours as they gripped the comic book. “Dude. I gotta check it out.” He said. “Come on.”

“Wait, right now?” you asked. It was late and Splinter did say that you should rest, a sentiment you had to agree with.  

“Yeah.” He said, “Please.” He flashed the most adorable puppy dog eyes you’d ever seen. You felt your resolve crumbling and, from the devious look in his eyes, you could tell that he knew it, too.

“Okay, fine.” You said. Besides, if you were going to live with the turtles for a while, getting a few things from your apartment was a must.

* * *

You hurried through the darkened streets of New York with Michelangelo taking the lead, he was nimble and quick on his feet. You, on the other hand were still getting used to your new clunky body. Sensing this, Michelangelo slowed down for you, which you appreciated.

“It’s this one.” You said, when you finally reached your building. You lead him through an alleyway and pointed up at a corner apartment on the third floor. “That one.”

“Next stop, Neo-Turtle’s secret hideout!” he said, scooping you up before positioning you so that you were clinging to his caprice. And before you could ask him what he was up to, he jumped.

The sensation of flying filtered through your entire body as he hopped up the fire escape. With each bounce you could feel your stomach dance at the weightlessness, it was thrilling. After the third jump he stopped, the tails of his orange mask tickled your cheek as he turned his head to check on you. “Still there?”

“Yeah.” You said and he set you down before pulling the window open, he turned and gave you a look, probably questioning your security. “It’s pretty safe, everyone knows that this area is low income.” You said. “So no one tries to rob anyone here.”

You stepped inside and heard a metallic sound, it was familiar and Michelangelo must have thought so too because, in an instant he was by your side. He shoved you behind him and suddenly he became focused and dangerous. His eyes seemed to glow white in the darkness as he drew his weapons with extreme focus.

“It is the turtle known as Michelangelo.” A Kraang droid said as it rounded the corner. You glared, it was holding your notebook, the one where you kept all of your scientific findings. It was one of the things you’d hoped to collect on this trip.

“My notebook!” you pointed and leapt away from Michelangelo in an attempt to retrieve it but he yanked you back behind him. He spun his nunchaku as more droids filtered into the room.

“Give us the one known as _____.” One of the droids demanded.   

“If you want Neo-Turtle, you’re gonna have to get though me first.” Michelangelo said shoving you hard to the left where you landed behind the couch. Not the best form of cover but it was better than nothing.

“Booyakasha!” you heard Michelangelo shout as he leapt into battle. You lifted you head to peek over the couch.  Michelangelo skillfully dodged the laser blasts that the droids fired at him and jumped into the air only to come down on the droid that was holding your notebook.

The droid fell to the ground, causing your notebook fly off into the kitchen. You gasped and sank down behind the couch again, you had to get it. You crawled across the carpet and paused as a stray laser flew past your head, barely grazing you. You felt the heat it gave off, instant death.

You had to get cover. You spotted your coffee table. It wasn’t much but its glass top might provide a good enough reflective shield. You scurried over to it and tipped it over so that you could crawl behind it safely. It was heavy but the kitchen wasn’t too far away.

While you crawled, dragging the coffee table along with you, you heard several laser blasts bounce off of its surface. Good. Once you reached the bar leading into the kitchen you ditched the table and hurried over to your notebook. You grabbed it and were just about to open it when a laser cut through it, leaving giant sizzling hole through its center.

You looked up at the offender and discovered that a droid was hovering above you. “You are to return to the place that is being the hiding place of Kraang.” The Droid reached down to grab you but stopped abruptly when a blade pierced its metallic head.

“I don’t think so.” Michelangelo said before taking the bots head clean off with the sickle of his kusarigama. The squid like alien, in the droid’s stomach skittered away, leaving you in the silence of your once pristine apartment.

You lifted your notebook up, maybe some of your notes could be salvaged but that idea died when, what was left of your notebook disintegrated in your hand.

“Are you okay? He didn’t get you, did he?” Michelangelo asked.

“Yeah, right where it hurts.” You said sarcastically, grabbing at the dust that was once your notebook.

“I wonder what they want with you.” he said.

“Beats me.” You lied, of course you had an idea, though Mikey didn’t need to know that.

“We should get back to the lair, I didn’t think anyone was actively hunting for you.” A look of guilt plagued his features for an instant before fading behind his usual smile. “You might want to grab what you can. I don’t think we should come back here for a while.”

“Right.” You hurried to your room and filled a backpack with a few things before heading back to the lair with Mikey.

* * *

The two of you made it back to the lair without incident, which you were glad for, you were practically running on empty by now. Mikey lead you back to his room and sat down on his bed. “That was some pretty cool fighting you did back there.” You said. “I’m glad I picked you.”

He smiled at your comment and let out a sigh, “I’m sorry about your apartment.” He said.

“I was thinking of going for a new ascetic anyway, swish cheese sounds pretty cool.” Your attempt at a joke wasn’t lost on him and he chuckled.

“Oh, and I brought you something.” You smiled and turned to your bag, digging through it to produce a plastic case. “To thank you for saving me before.” You turned and handed the item to him. Inside the plastic case was your limited edition signed Wingnut issue one comic book.

“Are you serious?” Michelangelo took the comic and handled it like it was worth a million dollars. “No, I can’t take this.” he said, “besides, you don’t owe me anything.”

“Please, I want you to have it.” You said. “As a sign of friendship.”

“Are we friends?”

“Of course we are.” You said.

“Awesome.” He said, then put the comic book on the shelf above his bed. “Alright, today has been more than epic and I am tired, how about you?”

“Dead tired.” You admitted.

Michelangelo plopped down on his bed, scooching back against the wall so that there was room for you. Was he serious? “Um, Mikey, I don’t think it’s a good idea to share a bed.”

“Why not? Did you want to sleep on the floor?” he asked.

“Well, no, but…”

“Just come on.” He said, yanking you by the wrist, causing you to fall. He caught you in his arms and pulled you tightly against his body. You felt warm and secure. You’d never been spooned before but it was amazing. “Hmm, you are so cuddly, Neo-Turtle.” He said as he rested his chin against the top of your head. “And you smell good, too.” You blushed.

“Uh, Mikey?” you tried to ask him what he was up to but realized that he was already fast asleep. Maybe he wasn’t up to anything after all, he did seem innocent enough. You smiled. Who were you to complain, you were comfortable, after all. You took a breath and let sleep claim you.


	3. Chapter 3

* * *

**The Second Chapter**

* * *

A delightful aroma drifted through the bedroom and tickled at your nose. Your eyes snapped open, you knew exactly what that smell was. Pancakes! You sprung from the bed and crossed the room, careful to avoid stray Legos, and yanked the door open. You followed the scent to the other end of the lair and found the kitchen. Michelangelo was working his magic at the stove, humming a strange tune that sounded a lot like a familiar theme song.

“Morning, Mikey.” You said and as he turned around to greet you, you noticed that he was wearing a pink shabby chic apron. Could this turtle get any more adorable? You hoped not as it wouldn’t be good for your heart.

“Morning.” He replied and lifted a huge stack of pancakes and tipped the plate toward you. “I hope you like pancakes.”

“Are you kidding me, I love pancakes!” you said, taking the plate from him before sitting down at the table.

“Good, then you’ll love my world famous old fashion pancakes.” He said.

You found the syrup on the table and drenched the mountain of pancakes before taking a big bite. The moment the fork entered your mouth you were transported to a log cabin in the woods, it was peaceful, earthy and warm. “These are the best pancakes I’ve ever tasted.” When it came time to decide your last meal, this was sure to be your choice.

“Thanks.” He smiled, “I’ve had years of practice, if I wasn’t a crime fighting ninja, I’d like to think I’d be a crime fighting chef.” He said.

 You chuckled as you pictured Michelangelo: The Caped Culinary Crusader; fighting for truth, justice and good eats. “You have to keep the crime fighting part, huh?” you asked.

“That’s right, son. I’d DISH out justice and give the bad guys a TASTE of their own medicine.” He said.

“That’s a RECIPE for success.” You teased.

“You have all the right INGREDENTS to make a great sidekick.” He said and the look in his eyes told you that he was initiating a challenge. Can you keep this going?

“Yeah, no matter what the evil scheme the baddies COOK up, they’ll get SERVED their just DESSERTS.” BAM. Three puns in one, there was no way he could beat that.

Unfazed, Michelangelo simply gave you an evil grin. Apparently, he could bead it. “If they STIR up trouble we’ll SCOOP them up and WHISK them off to jail where they’ll STEW over what they’ve done.” He said.

“Okay, I’m out.” You pouted.

“Don’t worry, you had a pretty good run. You just couldn’t MEASURE up.”

You shared a laugh with your green hero and found yourself wishing the moment would never end. At that thought, you felt your throat close up. What were you thinking? Here you were having fun while the professor was out there waiting to be rescued.

“Hey.” Michelangelo said, taking a seat on the stool next to yours. “It’s gonna be okay.” He said. “I promise, we’ll save your mentor and change you back.” It was as if he’d read your mind. “You’ll be back to your normal life in no time.” He continued. “We’ll take care of everything, all you need to do,” he slid a smiley-faced pancake toward you, “is smile.” He added.

Michelangelo’s optimism was contagious and you felt a smile playing at the corner of your mouth. “I can do that.” You said.

“Good.” He said.

* * *

 

Later that afternoon you were seated in front of the T.V. watching Michelangelo play a battle royale first person shooter, it was cartoony and vibrant but had a certain charm. Michelangelo, armed with a long-range weapon, was down to his last twelve rounds of ammunition. Currently, he was one of ten players left in the game and the play area was shrinking. You had no idea how he was going to pull this out but you kept watching.

With the play area shrinking by the minute, the other players were forced toward one location, but since Michelangelo had built a small fort in the center, the players were all drawn toward him. One by one he shot them down until there was only one other player left. “It’s just you and me, GamerXtr3me.” He said.

“You can do it, Mikey.” You said.

Before Michelangelo’s character could fire, GamerXt3rme switched weapons and was now barreling toward Michelangelo with a flamethrower. There was no way for Michelangelo to avoid the sweeping flames and his character was killed. “Bummer dude, I was so close.” He said.

“Why don’t you try again?” you asked.

“Nah, it can’t be too fun for you to watch me play. Besides, I just had an epic idea.” He said. “It’s something we can do together.”

“Oh yeah, what’s that?” you didn’t know it at the time but you’d regret asking that question.

 

* * *

“I think it might be too big.” You said.

“It’ll be fine so long as we are careful. Just a little more on the bottom, that way it’ll stay up longer.” Michelangelo said. “We don’t want it to spill too soon.” He added. “Oh, that’s perfect, hold it just like that.”

 

“It’s heavier than I thought it would be.” You said in a strained voice. “My arm is getting tired. Are you almost finished?” you asked.

“Almost. Just a little more.” Michelangelo’s voice wasn’t the least bit fatigued, it must be all the ninja training. “Ah, there.” He said, “I’m finished.” Relief washed over you as your hands fell away. “You did a great job. I’m impressed. Is this your first one?” he asked.

“Yes, but I’ve heard about them. I mean, you can’t live in a college town without learning a few things.” You said. “But um, don’t you think the video camera is going a little too far?”

“No way, it’s more fun this way and we have the added bonus of watching the video as many times as we want.” He smiled.

“If you say so.” You said.

“Trust me.” He said, “When it comes to pranks I am the master.” He placed his hands on his hips and stood back to admire your collective handy work. “See, the box is the prefect size.”

Currently, the two of you were standing inside of Raphael’s room, the stage for Michelangelo’s “epic idea”. And the two of you had just finished taping a shoebox filled with toy bugs and syrup to the wall above Raphael’s door. A string hung loosely from the hinged lid of the box, one swift tug and sticky chaos would ensue.

“Okay, let Operation Sticky Bug begin.” Michelangelo pressed the record button on the camera and tucked out of sight. He ushered you out of the room, making sure to tape the other end of the string to the door.

Together, you and Michelangelo ducked into his room and you didn’t have to wait long for Raphael to arrive. At first you thought that pranks were childish and a waste of time, but now that you were a part of one you felt strangely excited. You closed your eyes as Raphael came closer and imagined the scene play out.

Raphael shoved his door open, causing the string to become taunt which in turn caused the shoebox to open. A sticky substance drizzled down over his head and slowly made its way down the front of his body. Little by little, plastic roaches inched their way down the waterfall of syrup. Plop! One landed on Raphael’s shoulder. Plop Plop! Two more landed on arm. Raphael’s eyes went wide with terror as his mind was unable to discern what was happening.

He could, however, feel bugs crawling on him. Oh, how he hated bugs. A tense feeling slithered over his body and wrapped around his spine like barbed wire. He wanted to jump out of his skin and get away from the sensation. Finally, a scream wrenched its way out of his throat, “GAH!” He batted at his body, trying to get the bugs off of him but they were too sticky and ended up sticking to his hands instead. “Get’em off get’em off!”

You covered your mouth with both hands, you felt bad but at the same time you couldn’t keep the rumble of laugher from escaping your lips. Suddenly, Michelangelo threw his door open, was he going to confess?

“HA, Gottcha Bro. Dr, Prankenstein strikes again!” You felt your body freeze over, you were afraid he was going to do that. Welp, this was the day you were going to die. 

Raphael’s stopped mid-freak-out session and glared daggers at Michelangelo, his eyes suddenly became fire and he clenched his fists as his sides. “MIKEY! I’m gonna kill you!?”

“We should go.” Michelangelo said, scooping you up in his arms, carrying you across the lair as Raphael took chase.

“If you think using _______ as a shield is going to stop me then you’ve got another thing coming!” Raphael yelled.

Michelangelo ran for the exit, “hang tight.” He said before jumping over the turnstiles, grabbing his skateboard on the way. He threw down his board and hopped on, skating through the tunnels with expert precision.

You could hear Raphael yelling behind you, “You have to come home some time!” Raphael’s yell vibrated through the sewer. “and when you do, I’ll be waiting!”

Once he was sure you were out of danger, Michelangelo set you down on the ground and kicked his board up into the air before catching it. “That was awesome.” He said. “We make a great team.” You couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride at that comment. “Let’s celebrate over a couple orders of Pizza Gyoza.”

“Gyoza? Like a pot sticker?” your stomach protested, that didn’t sound at all appetizing. “Why would someone put pizza ingredients inside a pot sticker?”

“Uh, because it’s delicious.” He said.

* * *

 

You emerged from the sewers, coming up in an alleyway, and Michelangelo lead you around to the front of the nearest building. “This is Murakami-san’s restaurant.” He said. “Come on.”

Michelangelo made to leave the alley but you grabbed his elbow. “Are you crazy? Someone will see us.”

“Nah, don’t worry about it. It should be empty by now and Murakami-san knows all about us.” He tugged you out of the alley and toward the front door. A wind chime rang above you as you entered.

“Welcome.” Murakami greeted, then sniffed the air. “Ah, Michelangelo-san, and you have a date?” he teased.

“Hey, Murakami-san, this is Neo-Turtle.” He said, but you were too focused on the fact that he hadn’t corrected Murakami about the date comment. “the usual, my dude.” He said.

“Pizza Gyoza, coming right up.”

“Sweet.” Michelangelo lead you toward the counter where you had a first-hand view of a true kitchen master. Murakami was like a controlled hurricane, moving from one station to another, never letting a pot boil over or an ingredient burn. He quickly whipped up the Japanese-Italian fusion food and set two matching plates on the counter.

Your apprehension melted away as a wonderful smell wafted toward your nose and you couldn’t wait to get a taste. You were unable to find a fork so you used your chopsticks to stab at the gyoza, skewering one before popping it into your mouth. You bit down and melted cheese and marinara sauce flooded through your mouth, it was like pizza heaven. “Mmm.” You went in for another pot sticker.

“You don’t know how to use chopsticks?” Michelangelo asked.

“It’s hard with three fingers.” You said. Not that it was easy with five fingers.

“It’s super easy.” He held up his hand to show you the proper way to hold them with turtle hands. You tried to mimic his fingers but were unable to get the top stick to move.” You pouted. “What’s wrong with Pizza Gyoza Shish Kebabs?”

“Heh, Nothing.” He said. “But you almost have it.” He reached over and placed his hands over yours and started playing with your fingers. You could feel your body flush at the contact and a tingling sensation ran up your arm and set your brain abuzz. You studied his face and could tell that he was concentrating on his task as the tip of his tongue protruded from the corner of his mouth. He clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth when your fingers popped back to their starting position and he tried again.

He stopped and stared back at you, his bright baby blue eyes pulled the air from your lungs; You didn’t know if it was because he’d caught you staring or if it was because he could see into your soul. He smiled, the freckles on his cheeks accentuated his baby face and made him look all the more handsome. Handsome?

He let his hand fall away. “There you go.” He said, finally releasing your gaze. You looked down and found that the chopsticks fit perfectly in your new hands. You tested the top stick and it moved. You went for the gyoza and picked it up as if you’d been using chopsticks for years. “I did it!” you said. “look, Mikey.”

“I see it.” He smiled and…did he just give you a look of longing or was that your imagination? You didn’t know, it was too fast an action for you to be sure. Not wanting to ruin the evening, you decided not to worry about it and instead enjoyed dinner with your orange clad guardian.


	4. Chapter 4

 

* * *

**The Third Chapter**

* * *

You shared a second order of Pizza Gyoza with Michelangelo as he told you stories about his family and their harrowing adventures. The somber looked he’d just given you was but a memory; apparently, talking about his family was just the thing to put the genuine smile back on his face.

The conversation transitioned to Michelangelo doing impressions of each of his brothers, and when he did an impression of Raphael you nearly lost it. “Pretty good, huh?” he smiled. “Okay, I’m gonna do you.” he said, causing you to choke on your soda.

“Hmm, an impression of Neo-Turtle.” He trailed off, lost in thought. “Ah, got it.” He smirked and you weren’t sure you liked where his mind was headed, though, it probably wasn’t any worse than where yours was a second ago.

 “Hi, I’m _____, and I have an unhealthy obsession with protecting notebooks from squishy brain aliens.” He winked, “It sure was a good thing Mikey was there to save me.” He continued. “Boy, is he ever dreamy, I’d like to ask him out on a date.” 

“First of all, that sounds nothing like me,” you protested, “and for the record, that notebook could have provided us with a lead.”

“Yeah, maybe, but it wasn’t worth risking your life.” he said

 “And just so you know, technically, this is a date.” You added.

“No, it’s not.” He said. “This is just two friends hanging out.”

“This is the best kind of date.” You said, “I mean, real dates are terrible, they’re stressful and everyone is trying to project the best version of themselves and still, most of the time you end up with a real creepazoid. Haven’t you ever been on a date before?” as soon as the words left your mouth you felt like a real heel, of course he hadn’t. “I’ll go on a real date with you.” You said, without a moment’s hesitation.

“Really?”

“Yeah, we’ll do it up all classic too. Dinner and a movie.” You said.

He perked up, “Wait, I have a better idea, how about a carnival date at Luna Park, Coney Island? It’s my favorite place in all of New York, well except for Antonio’s.” Murakami cleared his throat in the background, “and Murakami’s eh-heh.”

“That sounds fun, Let’s do it.”

* * *

 

One harrowing ride attached to the outside of a subway train later, you were standing in front of Luna Park. “Uh, Mikey? How are we supposed to get in and keep people from seeing us?” You asked, wondering, how in the hour commute, you didn’t think to ask before.

“We don’t need to worry about that.” He said. “Let’s go.” He stepped into the light of a nearby streetlamp.

You yanked him back before anyone could see him, “Are you nuts? You mean for us to walk in without disguises?”

“We ninja practice the art of invisibility and that means being able to hide in plain sight. Check it.” He pointed toward the park entrance, a line of circus performers, dressed in elaborate costumes, headed into the park. “We’ll sneak in with the sideshow.”

“I don’t know about this, Mikey. Maybe we can think of something else.” And besides… you didn’t care much for clowns.

“It’ll be fine, have I ever stirred you wrong?” You thought back to your poor smoldering apartment. “Don’t answer that.” Michelangelo quickly added. “Just trust in ol’ Michelangelo.” he said, extending his hand toward you.

You placed your hand in his, and together, you caught up with the performers. You fell in line with a colorfully dressed, round woman with a fabulous beard. “Hello dearies,” she said, “I’ve never seen you two before, you must be the interns. I’m the Beatrice, the Bearded Lady.” She gave you a small curtsy.

“Nice to meet you,” you said, “I’m Neo-Turtle, and this is…” Ha, now it was time to enact your revenge upon Michelangelo, time to see how he liked being given a new name.

“I’m the Turtle Titan!” he said, his eye flashing knowingly,  _nice try_.

“What wonderful stage names, they certainly match those divine turtle costumes you’re wearing.” Complemented Beatrice.

“Thank you.” You beamed.

“Yeah, and your beard is most excellent, B.” Michelangelo said.

“Ha-ha. Oh, how sweet of you!” Beatrice stroked her beard lovingly and then her face lit up. “Oh! I have something for you.” she retrieved two wristbands from her pocket and handed one to each of you. “As part of the circus, you get free admission to the park and unlimited rides.”

“Awesome! Thank you so much.” You said.

“Yo, Thanks, B.”

“No problem.” Beatrice said, “Now, you have a little time before the show starts, so, you two enjoy the park.” She practically shoved you both toward the midway before joining the other performers as they continued their journey to the circus tent.

“See, what did I tell you?” Mikey said.

“We’re lucky that the real interns didn’t show up,” you said. Still, his plan worked. “I shouldn’t have doubted you, Mikey. This is so cool.”

“You ain’t seen the half of it yet.” He said. “First things first.” He pointed toward an old rollercoaster across the park. “You can’t visit Luna Park without riding the mother of all rollercoasters: The Cyclone!” He pulled you toward the ride, “2640 feet of track, 12 drops, all thrill!” His excitement was so contagious that you almost forgot about how heights gave you the shaky legs.

The line for the Cyclone was about an hour long and by the time it was your turn, you were sure you didn’t want to ride. Michelangelo asking to hang back for the front row only added to your opposition. Still, you didn’t want to disappoint him, so you decided to suck it up.

Once you were seated, Michelangelo pulled the lap bar down and after a few minutes the car ascended. Soon, you were 85 feet above the ground and the tracks had disappeared behind a downward curve. “Nope.” You began to wonder if keeping Michelangelo happy was work taking a ride on the death coaster. You held onto the lap bar and shut your eyes. Nope, nope, nope, nope.

Your inner chanting came to a stop when you felt something warm on your hand, three fingers wrapped around your own, as Michelangelo held your hand. “I gottchu.” He reassured.

A second later, the car tipped over the edge, speeding at 60 miles an hour at a 60-degree angle, but you didn’t feel an ounce of fear. You felt weightless and it wasn’t because of the g-force.

The ride only lasted a few minutes and when you got out of the car you were still holding Michelangelo’s hand. “That was pretty fun.” You said.

“Sure was.” Michelangelo agreed “…You have an awesome death grip, by the way.” Michelangelo said, wigging his fingers.

You dropped his hand. “Oh, I’m sorry, did I hurt you?” you asked.

He blew a raspberry in the air and waved off your question with a flick of his other hand. “I’m fine.” And to prove his point he scooped up your hand once more. “On an unrelated topic, let’s put the rest of the rides on hold and play some games.” He said.

He pulled you across the park toward another section of the midway and came to a stop in front of the ring toss game. “I’ve always wanted to play this game.” He said.

As you approached the ring toss stand, the operator eyed Michelangelo like he’d found an easy mark and shoved a bucket of red rings toward him. “Test your luck, all you gotta do is ring five bottles, only five dollars for twenty rings”

“It’s not luck, it’s all skill.” Michelangelo payed the man and pulled the bucked closer before grabbing a fistful of rings. He fanned them out and released them with a flick of his wrist. Using his ninja speed, he repeated the process until all of the rings were gone. You watched in awe as he ringed twenty bottles in perfect succession.

“What the? I’ve never seen that.” the game operator said, slacked jawed. “Well, um, gee…choose any prize you want.” Michelangelo scanned the prizes and pointed at a small stuffed turtle. “You sure that’s the one you want?” asked the operator, surprised that Michelangelo would choose a first tier prize after such a victorious battle.

“Yep, you might say I have a soft spot for turtles.” Michelangelo said.

“That was amazing, Mikey!” you said. “How did you do that?”

“Magic.” Michelangelo answered with a twinkle of mischief in his eye.

After receiving his prize, he handed it to you. “For you,” he said, “so, you never forget me when this is all over.” You smiled halfheartedly, the idea that this would all come to an end stung at your heart. You hugged the stuffed turtle tightly, as if doing so would leave a permanent imprint of the memory on your chest.

Before you got the chance to tell Michelangelo that you would never forget him, you were interrupted by a man dressed in colorful business attire, complete an elaborate top hat. “Hey! You two! You’re the interns, right? I need you to go on in the Bearded Lady’s place.”

“Slow down, Ringmaster dude, did something happen to B?” Michelangelo asked.

“She twisted her ankle backstage.” The Ringmaster said, “I’ve been looking for you two, it says on my sign up sheet that you guys are experts of the flying trapeze. Is that right?’

“Yep.” Michelangelo said, you elbowed him in the arm.

“Great, follow me.” The Ringmaster started walking toward the circus tent.

“What are you doing, Mikey?” you whispered so that only he could hear. “We can’t do this, the flying trapeze takes years of practice. It’s too dangerous.”

“We have to, B was super nice to us.” He said. “Don’t you worry, I’ll take care of everything.” you nodded but you weren’t too sure about this one.

* * *

 

“Ladies and Gentlemen, a round of applause, making their highflying debuted, please welcome Turtle Titan and Neo-Turtle!” the ringmaster said, drawing a burst of cheerful applause from the eager crowd. Little did they know they were about to watch someone plummet to their death.

You were standing on a platform, 20 feet in the air, holding onto the trapeze bar so tightly that your knuckles turned a lighter shade of green. Across the stage, on a similar platform, Michelangelo mirrored your stance, though he didn’t half as ready to barf as you did.

Paralyzed with fear, you just stood there. Silence filled the tent and you knew everyone was looking at you. Then, Michelangelo leaped off of his platform and flipped onto the bar, swinging upside down by his legs. As he came forward, he reached for you. “Come on, Neo-Turtle.”

You dipped your toes over the edge of the platform which only renewed your urge to throw up, it was just so high. Ugh. Then, the ground started swirling beneath you. You experienced a moment of vertigo that sent you over the edge of your platform. “No!” You swung through the air, holding onto your trapeze bar for dear life.

“Let go.” You heard Michelangelo said. Was he nuts?!  “I’ll catch you, trust me.” He said. The conviction in his voice lead you to do as he said, and upon your next swing you let go of the bar. Michelangelo caught you by your wrists. “Nice, now, get ready.” He said.

Get ready!? Ready for what? Was he going to let you go? Before you could voice a protest, he swung you up into the air and you landed, in a stand, on his shoulders. He held onto your ankles and the crowd started cheering.

“On the count of three I’m going to flip you, all you have to do is hold your arms out in front of you.” He said. “One, two, three!” As promised, Michelangelo vaulted you up into the air and you did a double flip before grabbing onto your trapeze. You landed back on your platform and watched as Michelangelo did a few flips of his own, twisting 360 degrees before landing on his platform.

The show continued this way for half an hour and when it was over, the Ringmaster began singing your praises. “That was stupendous.” He said, “I’ve never seen such tricks. Once you finish your internship, what do you say, you join us?”

You looked at Michelangelo and smiled. “What do you say, Turtle Titan? Should we run away and join the circus?” You laughed, but his smile was distant, as if he was seriously considering it.

 

* * *

Later that evening, you wandered down to the beach with Michelangelo, your heart still beating a million miles an hour. Still. “That was terrifying, but I have to admit, I’ve never had so much fun in my life.” You confessed.

“Ha, yeah, it was pretty epic.” Michelangelo laughed, “You should have seen your face when I tossed you into the air, it was like this:” He made non-too flattering face and started laughing harder.

“Excused me, that was not funny, I was scared out of my mind.” You shoved him playfully and he stumbled off the pier. He reached for your wrist in order to stabilize himself but it wasn’t enough and soon you both tumbled into the sand. You landed on top of him and he started laughing again. What a wonderful sound.

You studied his face, the lights from the park danced across his boyish features. His laughter faded when you started trailing your fingers across his face, connecting his freckles between invisible lines. His eyes closed and you could tell he liked the attention. You smiled, surprised by the softness of his reptilian skin. Your exploration brought your fingers to the corner of his mouth.

“Having fun?” he asked, knocking you out of your trance.  

“Ah, Sorry.” You went to push yourself up but his arms encircled your waist, effectively stopping you.

“You know, that was a pretty sweet date.” He mused, “I kinda want to do it again.” you blushed, it was nice to hear someone complement your dating abilities, though you never really stuck around to the end of a date before. (Thank you fake emergency call app).

“Yeah, it was.” You agreed. “I’m kind of sad that it’s over.” Death deifying stunts and all.

“But wait, it can’t be over yet, right? I feel like we’re missing one crucial detail.” He pondered, “Something that happens at the end of a date.”

Was he talking about a kiss? Your body flushed, you did kinda want to kiss him. He wet his lips and you began to wonder what it would feel like to have them on yours. “you mean a K—"

“Nah, I can’t remember.” He pulled you up with him and dusted the sand from his legs. “Well, I guess, if you can’t remember then it isn’t important, right?”

“Right.” You said, much to your disappointment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading and reviewing!


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